Saturday, November 28, 2009

It came and it went. I hope your Turkey Day was phenomenal. I'm sure a lot of your are thinking..."I really shouldn't have eaten that." I bet we could come up with a list of shouldn't haves, should haves, and wished we wouldn't have's. BUT, it's come and it has gone. So let's focus on the future, ok? What are you going to do from this point forward? What is your December going to look like?

THIS is what I want you to do. Set a December goal. You still have a couple days to decide what it's going to be. Some possible examples?

- No candy/treats from December 1st to December 24th

- A combo of 5 fruits and veggies every day for every month in December

- Drink 100 oz of water every day in December

- Get some form of physical activity every day of December

Get it? Got it? Good.

You guys know what it is you need to work on. Most people use December as a "throw away" month, thinking, " Oh i'll start in January. Don't be one of those people. There is no time like the present, and no reason to let yourself get one more month deep into your bad habits. Let's change something now, even if it's just one thing.

My goal for December: Write down/Fitday my food every single day. I'm still on my no sugar kick, so I feel like really concentrating on my exact food intake is where I need the focus. So what is your goal going to be? If you feel comfortable, leave it in the comments so you're committed to it!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I love the Holidays. Thanksgiving is a great kick-off to the fun holiday season. It's also a jump start into the food fest that is November and December. Scary as it can be, keeping the holiday pounds off is doable. You have to decide to be in control of your situation. Here are some tips to beat Turkey Day this year.

1. Start your day off with a burn. Get yourself outside, to the gym, to your basement, to your local Turkey Trot. SOMETHING. You will more than likely eat more than usual, and if you take out the calories you'd burn on a normal exercising day, things could be S-C-A-R-Y.

3. Choose to lighten up at least ONE of your favorite menu items. Take out the butter, switch out some applesauce for oil, use skim milk instead of cream, reduce the sugar and use some splenda...etc. etc. etc. You'll be surprised at how you may not even notice the change. Heck, you might even like it better.

4. Load up your plate in this order.

Veggies.

Lean Proteins.

Carbs.

Other Jazz...if it's calorically dense, and you're dying to have some. Do yourself a favor and just grab a taste of it.

5. Watch your appetizers. Go for the veggie tray, sans fatty dips. Avoid the cheese platter. Try not to go crazy with aimless handfuls of crackers. Be smart. Don't waste hundreds of calories on the pre-meal excitement. Remember there is the meal and dessert still to come.

(Stand on a chair/bench/stair and hold your weight in front of your thighs. Keeping that back flat bend at the hips like you're going to touch your toes with the weight. If flexibility allows you to go down past your toes. Keep that back flat, shoulders back, and come back up slowly to standing.)

Remember...by the end you want to have done 3 sets of each of these exercises. It should take you about 40 mins...and your legs should be toast by the end! If not, up the weight!! Now, go get your skinny on!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Today has been one of those days. I didn't get to work out. I feel like my eating was sub-par. Nothing horrible, but nothing to write home about. I think this week has just worn me down, and Friday has found me exhausted. I don't like these days; The days where I feel gross and like I'm not on my game. However, I am somewhat grateful for feeling this way today. I think I needed a little kick in the pants, so to speak, to get my butt back in gear again. Not, that I have been doing horrible, but I just know I can do better. Sometimes I think we get stuck in a rut of letting ourselves be average, and thinking that that is all we can do.

The truth is we CAN do better. We are capable of so much more than we think we are.

In a heavy small saucepan stir light cream cheese and 1/4 cup of the milk over medium-low heat until smooth. Stir in remaining milk. Stir in sweet peppers or pimiento and Parmesan cheese; heat through.

In a large bowl stir together 3/4 cup of the sauce (place remaining sauce aside), the chicken, broccoli, onion, and black pepper. Using a small spoon, stuff shells with 2 to 3 tablespoons filling. Place in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.